[thomaja]

This is an oil pastel. I've been using them for about a year. I taught myself how to use them so I'm not very good. I started this pic with the best of intentions and the whole thing went horribly wrong. I wanted to do a project where I was drawing a stack of floweres. I think I was doing a good job until I realized, without proper planning, I made the flowers wildly varying sizes. I finally got frustrated and capped off the pic with a highlighted background. Somehow, it looks cooler than what I expected but still, I see those little flowers and little tears well up in my eyes. Did I ruin this? Any opinion is greatly appreciated!

 

[Sorin]

Breathe deep...

Oil pastels are a bit rough to use cuz they usually look like crayon works. I think you just need to lighten up a bit on this one & not get all disjointed. Relaaxxxx. Have fun. You might try emphasizing the lights & darks a bit to get out of the mid-ranges. I PSed this to give an idea:

 

[Asancta]

The technique is very good but what you lack here is balance and that's why the drawing looks kinda off.There is a green spot on the bottom that is not balanced with anything on top-remember"as above so below",also another issue is the fact that the eye is not attracted by anything-there is no focal point(S),no light or lines or whatever to draw the eye to a subject(what's the main subject?what is the story behind?).The deep pink on the top left corner is also a minus-in my opinion there should rather be a point of light that shines here and there on the flowers.Other than that the artwork is gorgeous.

 

[TerryCurley]

Your picture is very nice. I truly like it a lot. It could be improved on by lighting adjustments as the others said but I am still trying to learn myself and know it's not always easy to apply the rules of composition even if you know them. I'm getting better though and I'm sure you will also.

 

[thomaja]

You guys are AWESOME! I pulled these flowers off the internet so there were multiple light sources. Also I'm just starting with this, really and haven't been able to figure the best way to create shadow using the pastels without making a smeary mess. But I'm encouraged! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Susan Mulno]

Call me crazy, I like it!:vs_smirk:

 

[Sorin]

Yup... Tune it up & put a matt on it.

 

[pastelartprints]

Painting with pastels is a skill learned with patience and the urge to hone those skills and eventually, learn from your mistakes. Never forget it is possible to transform a mistake into a masterpiece with a few clever strokes on the canvas. It just a matter of how we approach it. As a famous quote says ‘we become what we think.’ We attract positive energy with positive thinking and vice-versa. Sometimes we create a perfect masterpiece but after its completion, it doesn’t look as it did as before. This is often the case with pastel colors, as they blend so easily.
To avoiding the colours merging and looking messy, just have a look at pastel drawing tutorials